*Lydia and Connor telepathically talking to animals*
*Ava and Enzo's thoughts*
Once everyone leaves the castle, they head back to the inn and grab dinner. Sitting beside his mom, Connor thought about what happened at the ball. His mind kept replaying Mousesack's words about destiny. Did Dad make the right choice? Or will it come back to bite us in the butt? Connor wonders.
Seeing her son lost in thought, she ruffled his hair affectionately, teasingly saying,
"Are you thinking about the girl that you danced with? What did your grandpa say that her name was... Azalie?"
His cheeks heated up when he heard his mother say Azalie's name.
"My baby boy has his first crush," Lydia cooed, embarrassing Connor.
"Mom! You're embarrassing me," Connor protested, blushing like crazy. "I don't have a crush on her!"
"Here! Your father asked me to give these back to you," Lydia said, handing the cards back to him.
"Thanks, Mom. I can't believe I forgot about them," Connor smiled, putting his cards back into his trousers pocket.
"What did you think of the ball, sweetie," Lydia asked.
"It was so boring! The only interesting thing that happened there was when you, Dad, and Grandpa fought the guards," Connor exclaimed. "What did you think about it, Mom."
"Well... I had fun dancing with your father," Lydia whispered, seeing Geralt choke on his ale. "I also enjoyed watching Princess Pavetta and Duny get married."
"It reminded me of those old weddings in those romance TV shows and movies that you always begged me, Uncle Scott, Grandpa, Warren, Rogue, and Kitty, to watch with you," Connor shrugged.
"Oh, so you didn't ask your uncle to add the latest romance shows to your Netflix and Hulu watchlist before we came here," Lydia grinned, and Connor groaned.
"You said that you'd never bring that up," Connor mumbled, his face flushed red.
"Since we won't be leaving here for another three days, what do you say to go fishing with me tomorrow," Lydia asked, knowing how much he loved fishing with Logan and her.
"Awesome! Can we also explore Cintra with Enzo and Ava while we're at it, please," Connor begged with a hopeful look.
"Sure," Lydia said, and Connor cheered.
"Dad, Geralt? Do both of you have any plans for the next three days," Lydia asked.
"Hunting," Geralt and Logan both said.
After everyone finished eating, they all went to bed. Early the following day, Lydia woke to find Geralt still asleep. She got out of bed and put on a black tunic and brown trousers with black boots. When Lydia finished getting dressed, she walked over to the Witcher's side of the bed. Stroking his cheek lovingly, Lydia kissed his forehead before leaving.
Already dressed and ready, Connor opens the door to his and his grandfather's room and walks out with Ava and Enzo on his shoulders. He closed the door behind him and quickly noticed his mom walking past him, motioning for him to follow her. Connor followed his mom downstairs, and they both went to get something to eat.
*Where are we going today, Mistress* Ava and Enzo asked as Connor fed them scrambled eggs.
*Fishing* Lydia said, and the two weasels chirped.
*Fish! Fish! Fish! I love fish* Enzo exclaimed.
*So do I! Don't worry, Mistress and Kit. We'll tell you which fish are safe to eat* Ava assured.
After they finished breakfast, Lydia bought fishing gear for Connor and her, and then they searched for a good fishing spot in the woods. When they finally found the perfect place to fish, Connor and Lydia bait their hooks before casting them out into the water. Patiently waiting for a fish to bite, Connor gazed at the water and heard his mother ask,
"How do you feel about being here?"
"Here as in the fishing spot? Or here in this world," Connor sounded confused.
"Let me rephrase the question," Lydia laughed and saw her son turn his head to look at her. "How do you feel about being in this world?"
"It's okay, I guess," Connor said, looking away from her and back at his fishing line. "This world has many places to explore and beautiful sights to see. I like it but could do without being chased by a werewolf or ghoul."
"What about home? Do you miss it," Lydia asked him. "What all do you miss?"
"I do miss home. I also miss Uncle Scott, Grandpa Chuck, Vilkas, Remy, Bobby, and everyone else," Connor said, feeling a little homesick.
A slight tug on his fishing line immediately caught Connor's attention. Quickly reeling in it, he started giving the line some slack before it broke. Connor kept repeating the same action until he had finally caught the fish. Chirping happily, the two weasels climbed down the boy's shoulders and studied the big fish he caught. Noticing his mother's two companions staring at the fish longingly, Connor unhooked and held it.
*You two can have it* Connor said as he gave it to them.
Letting out a happy chirp, the two weasels ran off with the fish and ate it.
"I swear that Ava and Enzo are getting too pudgy," Lydia said, and Connor laughed.
They spent the next two hours enjoying the blissful peace around them as they fished; Connor and his mother used this time to bond more.
"Mom, do girls like worms," Connor asked.
"No, sweetie," Lydia answered.
"Do they like monster teeth and claws," Connor questioned with a hopeful look.
"Sorry, Sweetie, but girls don't like those kinds of things," Lydia tells him.
"Then what do girls like," Connor sighed.
"Well, they like sweets, flowers, jewelry, going on romantic dates, and compliments," Lydia listed as she looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"
"No, reason," Connor quickly says, blushing like crazy.
"Is there a special someone you like," Lydia asked innocently, secretly excited about her baby boy's first crush.
"Yes," Connor said, his face heating up.
"Are they here or back home," Lydia inquired.
"Here," Connor mumbled, embarrassed, his cheeks tinged with pink.
"Is it Azalie," Lydia said, and Connor nodded.
They stayed quiet for a while and fished.
"How do you know when you're in love," Connor asked his mother.
"Well, you constantly think about them and worry," Lydia smiled, thinking about Geralt. "You always want to be with them. Making them happy, seeing them smile, and hearing them laugh. You want to protect them and keep them safe. And every time they look at you like you're the most important person in the world to them, you will feel like your heart's soaring like a bird. Everyone feels love differently, Sweetie; you'll understand it when you fall in love one day."
"I think I'm in love with Azalie," Connor tells her; his cheeks and the tips of his ears were tinged pink.
Lydia smiled and told him it may be too early to say since he was so young, but it was possible.
"Mom? Do you think my real dad would be sad about me calling Geralt dad," Connor asked.
"No, Sweetie, your father wouldn't be sad," Lydia said softly. "He would be at peace knowing Geralt loves and cares about you."
"I don't remember him," Connor said sadly; his memories of his real father faded over time.
"Your dad had short dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, and he was tall," Lydia describes, seeing her son's face light up in happiness at being compared to his father. "You look exactly like him, except you have my eyes."
"You remind me so much of him," Lydia told her son. "Your father was smart, passionate, and kind. Every time he smiled, you can't help but smile too. He was so happy and proud when we discovered I was pregnant with you. And on the day that you came into the world, your father looked at you like you were the greatest gift that he had ever been given."
"When you were a baby, your father bundled you up and took you outside to look at the starry night sky. And whenever it came to changing your diapers, your father would help me, or he'd do it by himself," Lydia said, quickly noticing how red her son's face was.
"I remember this one time when you were only a couple of months old, your dad was lying on the bed, and I turned around to get you a fresh diaper," Lydia said, laughing as she remembered the funny memory. "At that moment, your father yawned, and you peed. The stream was so long it landed right in his mouth."
"What do you think of Geralt," Lydia asks curiously; her son's opinion meant a lot to her.
"Dad isn't good with children, but I know he's trying his best," Connor admitted, and Lydia listened."Whenever it's just us, Dad will tell me stories. Don't worry, Mom, it isn't adult stuff. He only tells me about some of the histories of this world, along with a few monster hunt stories."
A sigh of relief soon escaped her lips; she would've killed Geralt if he had told their son inappropriate stories.
The sun was setting, and with all the fish the weasels didn't eat, they headed back to the city and the inn.